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Back in Action

Late February 1806

The Austrians did not take too kindly to General Buxhoewden sacking Vienna. Their ire took the form of an attempt to retake the city while it was still burning. Before Buxhoewden could fall back to Budapest he was forced to hold off the Austrian assault while suffering casualties I could ill afford.

Eduard Sazhin has not used his time as Lord Secretary of the Fleet wisely. He has been replaced with Daniil Poushkin who will now be responsible for growing the Imperial fleet to a size large enough to conduct commercial raiding in the Baltic Sea. If this is successful the fruits of this labor shall be used to grow the fleet even larger for eventual expansion into English waters.

Early March 1806

It would seem the Viennese people are still loyal to their displaced oppressors as they have taken to the streets in large numbers. This lawless rabble is not worth the time and energy it would take to discipline them, so Buxhoewden has retired to Budapest to replenish his losses.

General Kutusov has retaken Lemberg from the Austrian incursion. It would seem he has acquired quite the reputation for commanding well when attacking; this is perfectly aligned with my plans for domination as I do not plan on sitting back to let my enemies break their armies on my walls. This marks the last time liberating my territory from Austrians will be necessary as they have become too big of a hassle to allow to exist on my border. They shall be dealt with shortly.

During an attempt to slow the Ottoman army marching on Iasi, Gorbachev was captured and executed by firing squad. I shall have a hard time replacing such an experienced man. Now Iasi is all but undefended, as Kutusov cannot reach the city in time if the Ottomans continue to march north. Still he presses on, as his presence may be enough to discourage the Ottomans from angering me further.

Give and Take

Late March 1806

General Kamensky has made his way to Aabo in Finland and has laid siege to the Swedes holed up there. Now that they're cornered they can be starved into submission. Soon enough my northern border will be secured and Kamensky can cross the Baltic Sea and march on Prussia.

The Ottomans have done what I feared and have assaulted Iasi. The stalwart Opelchenie and citizens remaining there made a valiant attempt at holding the city but there was not much they could do in the face of such great numbers as the Ottomans have thrown at them.

Barricades are erected to deter Ottoman cavalry

My captain moves around the flank to take the Ottomans by surprise

​Ottoman infantry storms my buildings

Iasi is lost but Kutusov is mere days north of the city. The Ottomans shall be removed from my lands soon enough.

Settling Old Scores

Early April 1806

The sloop Gavriil has been launched into the Baltic Sea and will ferry reinforcements from St. Petersburg to General Kamensky. She will then carry his army south into Prussia to reignite my feud with those hated curs. Though she is the first of my Imperial fleet she shall not be the last. Russian might shall be projected into lands far and wide now.

General Kutusov has done his duty and retaken Iasi from the Ottomans. Their army of peasants was no match for the professionals in Kutusov's ranks. Now Kutusov is poised to march further south towards Bucharest. From there it is on towards Istanbul and a port from whence I can launch fleets carrying my armies into the soft white underbelly of Europe.

With my recent rash of successes even more men are offering themselves up for my service. A General Karl Karlovich Sivers has offered to lead my men in the field of battle. I shall consider hiring him should his services become necessary. Losing Gorbachev was a great blow, but a man named Yakov Komorov has presented himself for my service. He shall immediately be put to use against the Prussians to aid Kamensky's inevitable attack.

General Sivers offers his services.

Komorov

Kamensky has decided not to let the Swedes die of starvation or by their own hands, so he has assaulted Aabo and captured it with minimal losses. With the Swedes ousted from Finland I am now free to move his army south across the Baltic Sea and take the Prussians unaware. It would seem the Finnish people have been under the yoke of the Swedes for too long, for as soon as Kamensky marched his men into the city the people there greeted him with flowers strewn across the roads.

New Developments

Late May 1806

In an act of cowardice typical of their people, the Ottomans have surrendered Bucharest to General Kutusov as soon as he marched his army up to the city gates. That such a ripe prize be given over to me with nary a shot being fired shows that they realize they cannot withstand the might of Imperial Russia. Soon Istanbul will be mine and Kutusov will be able to send his men to the west to fight less craven opponents.

Early June 1806

With General Buxhoewden resting his men in Budapest the French have taken this opportunity to send an army against Vienna. They are spending time ravaging the countryside and harassing Austrian forces. This is my first observation of the famed Grande Armée and I shall have to proceed with more caution as Napoleon has quite the reputation as a leader of men. My advisors tell me that the French are not to be taken lightly as they are perhaps the only nation that can begin to rival the might of Russia.

Prestige

Early July 1806

The sloop Gavriil has unloaded the army of General Kamensky north of Warsaw and continued west to raid Prussian shipping lanes. While one sloop will not be enough to strangle their economy it does give the Prussians more cause to be concerned about the mighty Russian Empire to their east.

The Second Battle of Vienna

France marches on Austria

With the French harassing Austrian forces, General Buxhoewden takes this opportunity to move west from Budapest and into Vienna. His plan backfires though as before he can reinforce his position none other than Napoleon Bonaparte attacks him in the largely ruined city.

I am outnumbered but my men have become quite experienced on the long hard road to Vienna

The Russian forces are deployed to the east of the city in an attempt to divide the French attack into two parts - one which can march directly on me under fire from my artillery and a second that can will be broken up and slowed by the constricting streets of Vienna. In order for Russia to win this fight the French will have to be defeated in detail.

An observation balloon gives Napoleon a good view of the upcoming battle

Upon seeing my army's deployment, Napoleon wisely shift his line to match mine. He does however send several units through Vienna, no doubt in an attempt to try and flank me. I immediately send my grenadiers into the city streets on my left flank to prevent the French from getting behind my line of battle.

The Second Battle of Vienna (cont.)

Jägers doing what they do best

When the smoke clears, the death toll is great for both sides

Victory over the French upstart!

Though many men were lost, the French Emperor has been humbled. He will think twice before tangling with the might of Russia again. This victory may prove to be Pyrrhic as the Austrian people have decided they have had enough of both French and Russian soldiers in their homeland. A rebellion has begun and a large army has been raised, from whence it came I know not. General Buxhoewden will need to fall back to Budapest once again to replenish his losses.

Loose Lips

Gavriil sails to meet her destiny

The Danes have objected to me raiding their shipping lanes with Prussia and sent several ships to sink Gavriil. Seeing as how they sent two merchantmen instead of warships, this fight should have ended differently than it did. Gavriil's captain's inexperience showed when his ship was lost with little damage to the Danish ships.

Russian sailors leap into the sea

​Russia's first and only warship now rests at the bottom

To make matters worse, an enemy agent was detected attempting to infiltrate General Kamensky's camp but escaped before he could be captured and interrogated. I shall have to increase security as the last thing I need is another general assassinated. My foes continue to attempt to defeat me with trickery as they know the Russian army cannot be stopped by giving battle.

A Bridge Over Troubled Water

Late July 1806

Word has reached me about a mutiny in the faraway land of India. Though the mutineers have been executed, the British have suffered a black eye from the locals. If this so-called empire cannot tame savages they deserve to be conquered by the likes of me.

General Kamensky has marched into Selesia, setting up camp at the bridge on the Oder River. The Prussians know he is intent on capturing Breslau and have marched against him in an attempt to remove him from their lands. They must have less sense that I thought as the army they sent is primarily undisciplined militia.

Prussian infantry cross the river ford...

... into the fire of Russian musketeers

Prussian ulans attempt to defend their cannon from Russian hussars

The battle is won without too much difficulty, but something strange happened. The Prussians seemed very intent on reaching my cannon and sent cavalry through devastating volleys of fire to reach them. Though the cavalry was slain, they did manage to kill some of my gunners. The reason for such seemingly irrational behavior would become apparent to me the next day when the Prussians send an even larger army at Kamensky's position. This time they have reinforcements and I am vastly outnumbered.

A Bridge Over Troubled Water (cont.)

The second Prussian army is made up of professional soldiers, and in larger numbers. My battle-weary men will have to fight desperately to hold back the Prussian tide once more.

Attacked from three sides at once

Perhaps the Prussians were not so foolish as I first thought. The attack yesterday was obviously a probe to test my strength, and to destroy my guns to prevent their use in the real fight. Though I retained all of my guns their crew were sufficiently diminished to give me concern for being able to hold off attacks from the Prussians at both the ford and the bridge. Now I must also face a contingent of Austrians attacking from the rear. Truly this day's battle shall test Kamensky's mettle like no other before.

A Bridge Over Troubled Water (cont.)

Early August 1806

Though Kamensky prevails, he has lost half of his men. With the loss of so many experienced soldiers, his army is in no shape to continue on to take Breslau. With his offensive thus stalled, he marches his army east to Łódź in Greater Poland to recover. It would seem the Prussians have done the same as the battered remnants of their armies have marched west towards Berlin.

Enemy forces have been loose in my lands, sowing destruction where they march. Salzburg and Debreczin have both been put to the torch. I vow that henceforth, when presented with the opportunity, my foes shall be treated in kind. Their farms and villages will not be spared my wrath. All who oppose the Russian Empire shall learn a hard lesson about my power.

What's so civil about war anyway?

In brighter news, my gentlemen at university have been successfully discovering new ways to help their empire. Their most recent discovery is a new system of land drainage. This should increase the output of Russia's farmland and raise more money for the war effort. Things are starting to look slightly better for my economy.

To The City

A lynchpin of commerce and culture, Istanbul is the key to my strategy in the south. Capturing the city will not only secure my southern border and free General Kutusov to proceed west against Austria, it will also allow me to construct a mighty fleet to sail into the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Whether raiding shipping lanes or establishing them for myself, capturing this city represents a major opportunity to fuel my money-starved empire. With the future of the empire hanging in the balance, Kutusov marched south to secure his nation's destiny.

The Ottomans find themselves in a crossfire

Victory comes easy to Kutusov these days, and capturing Istanbul proved to be no different. Performing a half-encirclement the Russian army exacted a heavy toll on the Ottomans. With cannon on one side and infantry the other, no matter which way the Ottomans turned they were faced with an unsurvivable hail of lead. It didn't take long for their leaderless army to quit the field in the face of such superior firepower and command.

With the city captured, the temptation to loot it of everything of worth was high. Such a large amount of booty would be an instant injection into my war machine, but the resulting unrest in the surrounding region would not have been worth it. Such a rich city as Istanbul would better serve as a long-term addition to my economic growth. Repairing the damaged infrastructure in the city has drained the last of my coffers, but soon enough its wealth will start contributing to the glory of the Russian Empire.

A key part of holding Istanbul and preventing the people of Rumelia from rebelling against me is the destruction of the universities at Edirve and Sofia. The less educated the people of my conquered lands are the easier it will be to keep them in line. Such acts surely upset the upper class in my own lands, but I must do what is best for the empire. Heavy is the crown indeed.

The Second Battle of Istanbul

Late August 1806

Not content to let me hold his former capital, General Alemdar Sadik of the Ottomans has rallied the remaining forces in Rumelia and marched on Istanbul to displace General Kutusov. Veterans each and every one, Kutusov's men aren't going to give up their prize without a fight.

With the Ottoman force being made up of so much cavalry and artillery, I decide to station my infantry in the city streets. With the buildings sheltering them from enemy artillery, they hastily construct anti-cavalry barricades to channel the enemy horses into killing zones should they dare to enter the city. Jágers are to screen the bulk of my army, and set up ambushes with improvised explosive devices on the main approach to the city.

The Second Battle of Istanbul (cont.)

The trap works as intended as Ottoman light infantry are lured into pursuing my jágers as they retreat to the city after lighting the fuses. The resulting explosions cause many casualties among the enemy.

Ottoman infantry eventually make it into the city, only to be confronted by volleys from my musketeers. Once engaged, the hussars are sent in to mop up the remaining men.

With the enemy infantry out of action, all that remains is their cavalry and cannon. The cavalry are being held in reserve as their massive 18-pounders shell the city from well outside the range of my own 6-pound guns. It falls on my own cavalry to convince the remaining enemy to cease their hostilities or die by the sword.

The Second Battle of Istanbul (cont.)

My hussars get behind the enemy line and attack. They manage to slay the enemy general and break through to the gun crews. Though they suffer heavy casualties, the hussars escape annihilation and fall back to the safety of the city, hotly pursued by Ottoman cavalry intent on avenging their slain general.

Ottoman sipahis make it into the city only to find their route blocked by barricades and angry musketeers. There's not much they can do other than swear impotently as they fall like flies. The streets run red with blood as the day once again goes to General Kutusov.

Gaining Momentum

General Kutusov is named a Hero of the Army for his actions in Rumelia. Such an aggressive attacker will soon be put to use against the Austrians and remaining Ottoman forces to the west.

A saboteur is loose in Hungary, as the militia I sent to secure my gun manufactories there are consistently having their baggage train tampered with. It looks like I may soon have to send in someone to permanently take care of this persistent irritation.

Early September 1806

With money flowing into the royal coffers I have ordered a 38-gun frigate to be built in the Burgas Dockyards in Rumelia. As this is where Trubachev was captured and slain over a year ago, I shall name the first ship constructed there in his honor so he can have revenge on his slayers from beyond the grave. Soon Trubachev will sail the Black Sea and sink or capture enemy trade ships found there.

Early November 1806

General Kamensky has taken the opportunity created by the Prussian withdrawal from Breslau to capture the city. The citizens there surrendered the city after realizing their precious Prussian army has moved north chasing after a small force I sent razing the local farmlands. These fools have no hope to stand against me if they try to defend against every action taken by splinter groups of my army. Soon enough Kamensky will be able to strike at the heart of Prussia itself: Berlin.

Total War

In an act of amazing audacity, Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz has marched an army through the mountains and forests of Eastern Europe and launched an attack into Transylvania, deep behind my lines. Klausenburg did not stand a chance against such a formidable foe and fell quickly. Such an act of unchecked aggression will not stand, and General Kutusov is just the man to answer in kind. His army moved north and west from Istanbul a few weeks prior and he is in a position to strike at von Clausewitz in just a few days time.

Saxony has decided to throw their men into the fray now that General Kamensky is within striking range of Dresden. This marks the sixth nation that has opposed me on the field of battle these past two years, and it shall not be the last. Like all others before them, they shall be swept aside on my march to glory.

Kamensky's work is never at an end

The right flank

The left flank

The Saxons brought many men but no cannon, leading to a very bloody fight on the open fields of Silesia. While the Saxon army was annihilated, Kamensky lost more than two thirds of his men in the fight. This time he shall not retreat to Poland to recover, he will hold the city that has changed hands so many times. Though the foe continue to throw men in his way, Kamensky will not be deterred and will fight on until Berlin belongs to Russia. Such dogged determinism coupled with heavy losses has led his men to nickname him The Bloody-Handed General.